The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a Nigerian man yesterday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos after wraps of substances that tested positive for cocaine, were found in the collar of his jacket.

The 31-year old suspect, Agwu Samuel, had just arrived in Lagos from Sao Paulo, Brazil when he was arrested by the NDLEA. He was wearing the jacket containing the drugs smartly hidden but thankfully still discovered by officials.

The Chairman of the Agency, Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd.), described the suspect’s action as crafty and cunning. According to him, “the cocaine was detected by officers notwithstanding the crafty and cunning mode of concealment. The agency has taken some strategic measures aimed at disappointing the tricks employed by drug trafficking syndicates. We remain committed to exposing criminal plots through superior counter-narcotic intelligence. This operational success is commendable and a demonstration of our alertness to detect drugs”

The NDLEA commander at the Lagos airport, Ahmadu Garba, said that Samuel was arrested during routine check on passengers. “Ten wraps of cocaine weighing 110 grammes were found inside the collar of his jacket during screening of passengers on a South Africa Airline flight from Brazil through Johannesburg. The drug, which was carefully hidden inside his jacket, tested positive for cocaine and investigation is ongoing”, he said.

The suspect, a shoe seller in Togo claimed to have attended Technical Secondary School in Ohafia, Abia State. In his statement, he said he went to Brazil in search of greener pastures but resorted to drug trafficking due to frustration.